After the immense success of the first Now That's What I Call Music album, EMI and Virgin went full steam ahead and released Now That's What I Call Music II just four months later. This would be the only entry in the series, other than Now 13, to use Roman numerals for its numbering but we'll call it Now 2 from hereon. Released on March 26, 1984 it quickly went to the top of the album charts and would eventually go 2x Platinum.
Compiler Ashley Abrams was now on board and there's a noticeable improvement in the sequencing on Now 2 compared to its predecessor. EMI and Virgin were able to secure the rights to get Paul McCartney and Queen on the album, quite a coup at the time. Also joining the party were Eurythmics and David Bowie, both of whom had refused permission for their tracks to appear on Now 1. This was the start of artists vying for coveted positions on Now albums, with Queen being guaranteed the first track and an appearance in the TV commercial in exchange for their cooperation.
Like Now 1, this is a 30 track double album and side 1 kicks off with a real 1-2-3 punch that might just be my favorite in the entire series. Queen do indeed get the first track on the album and get the ball rolling with Radio Ga Ga, a huge #2 hit and one that would become even better known after their 1985 Live Aid performance.
Nik Kershaw follows with the superb #4 hit Wouldn't It Be Good, all guitar riffs and cheesy 80's production but it's a cracking tune. Kershaw would never quite hit these heights again musically, although The Riddle would go one better in terms of chart position later in the year.
1984 was definitely the year of the Thompson Twins with five top 40 singles, albeit Hold Me Now was released at the end of 1983. It's a song that just sounds like the 80's, a bit like Kajagoogoo's Too Shy from Now 1.
Things go downhill a bit with jazz-pop act Matt Bianco and Get Out of Your Lazy Bed. It's passable but only reached #15 and feels like quite a comedown after the first three tracks. We then lurch to Carmel and More, More, More, an odd, quirky jazz-esque number that has nothing whatsoever to do with Andrea True Connection's terrific disco track of the same name. Carmel didn't break the top 20 and this, along with Matt Bianco, feels out of place here on side 1.
Out of Madness' first 17 singles, 15 had reached the top 10. Single number 18, Michael Caine, found here ended that streak and was the start of the band's decline. It's still Madness, it's still decent, but it's not their best.
The Flying Pickets close out side 1 with a curious acapella cover of Yazoo's Only You. Somehow it all works - no doubt helped by the original being a terrific song to begin with - and it would be the band's biggest hit, becoming the Christmas number one at the end of 1983.
Nena get us started on side 2 with perennial 80s ditty 99 Red Balloons. It was a big number one hit in the UK whereas most of the rest of the world got the German original 99 Luftballoons. Either way, they were a one hit wonder almost everywhere except their native homeland.
Next we have an all time classic with Cyndi Lauper's Girl's Just Want to Have Fun. She made #2 a couple of months before Now 2's release and it's almost a required inclusion on any decent 80's compilation. Track 3 brings us Tracey Ullman and the disappointing My Guy's Mad at Me. Just the song title alone sounds 20 years old and it's a far cry from They Don't Know, only reaching #23 in the charts.
Matthew Wilder's Break My Stride is the very epitome of a one hit wonder. It reached #4 in the UK and #5 in the US but he never had a big hit again. It's good stuff, though, and would become a mainstay of 80's playlists to come.
Instantly forgettable are Julia & Company with Breakin' Down (Sugar Samba). It reached #15 but you won't remember it. TV theme songs don't always chart well but Joe Fagin's That's Livin' Alright, from hot (at the time) series Auf Wiedershen Pet, was a big hit and got to #3 in early 1984.
Hot Chocolate were, by 1984, desperately clinging on to their 1970's stardom. I Gave You My Heart (Didn't I) would only reach #13 and was their last original song to chart in the UK. Personally, I quite like it and it became something of a fan favorite at their live gigs.
Rounding off side 2 is Snowy White who broke away from his Thin Lizzy and Pink Floyd roles with the surprisingly decent slow and melodic Bird of Paradise. It made #6 at the end of 1983.
Side 3 is probably the best on the whole album, kicking off with the massive Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Being banned by the BBC didn't prevent it from shooting to number one at the end of 1983 and it's still essential listening to this day.
Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart help us weather the storm with the excellent Here Comes the Rain Again, a #8 hit from early '84. One of Howard Jones' best tracks is next. What is Love? is a synthpop classic, with Jones' distortion drenched vocals never sounding better, and it was a big #2 hit at the end of 1983.
I've never been the biggest fan of The Smiths but it's nice to see them here with What Difference Does it Make? It hit #12 in January 1984. Next up is Fiction Factory and the glorious (Feels Like) Heaven. It's wonderful synthpop; heaven indeed.
The synthpop continues with The Politics of Dancing from Re-flex. Originally released a year earlier, it finally cracked the top 30 in early 1984 but probably should have done better. Thomas Dolby follows with Hyperactive! The cover for the 7" single depicts Dolby as some kind of a mad scientist. Doc Brown hair and everything. Hyperactive indeed. The synthpop/new wave vibes are rounded off by China Crisis with Wishful Thinking, a #9 hit earlier in the year.
It's a mixed bag on side 4 but things start off with a bang. It's David Bowie and the wonderful Modern Love getting us all to the church on time. Culture Club had milked their Colour by Numbers album dry for singles and the cash cow squirted out one final tune with It's a Miracle. It's not their best but still decent, proving the milk had not yet soured.
The Rolling Stones were still churning out hits in the early 80's and Undercover of the Night made #11 in December. It doesn't quite move like Jagger but it's a good enough listen when cranked up in the car.
Next it's Wonderland from Big Country and, honestly, I never understood what all the fuss was about. I always felt they were mediocre and Wonderland is a song nobody seems to remember, though it did crack the top 10. Run Runaway from Slade follows and is a surprising return to form - well, some kind of form, anyway - for the glam rockers.
The best song on side 4 is probably Duran Duran's New Moon on Monday, a pounding slice of new wave goodness from their Seven and the Ragged Tiger album. That would have been a good way to close out the album... alas, here's Paul McCartney and the dreadful Pipes of Peace. The early to mid 80's was McCartney at his syrupy, turgid worst and this song is no exception. Naturally, the record buying British public panic bought it in droves and sent it to number one in the charts.
The Hip
Queen - Radio Ga Ga
Nik Kershaw - Wouldn't It Be Good Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax Duran Duran - New Moon on Monday
The Tragic
Carmel - More, More, More Tracey Ullman - My Guy's Mad at Me Julia & Company - Breakin' Down (Sugar Samba) Big Country - Wonderland Paul McCartney - Pipes of Peace
The Missing
Lionel Richie - Running With the Night Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton - Islands in the Stream
The Assembly - Never Never
Shannon - Let the Music Play
Review Breakdown
Music - 8.5/10 The opening 1-2-3 salvo of Queen, Nik Kershaw and Thompson Twins is fantastic. A few less than inspired offerings from the likes of Carmel, Tracey Ullman, and particularly the dreadful closer from Paul McCartney. Still, it was a number one so warrants an inclusion despite my personal disdain for it. The quality of songs is a step up from the first Now album in many regards, particularly as the compilers only had a few months of songs to choose from.
Cover Art - 4/10 Really phoning it in here, the sparse artwork retains that typical budget early 80's feel. Things would improve massively for Now 3.
Sequencing - 7/10 A improvement on Now 1, no doubt helped by Ashley Abram's involvement. There's a bit of a misstep on side 1 with Matt Bianco and Carmel stopping the great start dead in its tracks but the rest of the sequencing works well enough.
Overall Score - 8/10